West Bridgewater schools educating students on dangers of so-called bath salts

Monday

Apr 7, 2014 at 1:44 AMApr 11, 2014 at 2:46 PM

Synthetic marijuana, commonly called bath salts and marketed as potpourri, is a new point of emphasis in the changing drug education topics at the Howard School.

By Sandra L. ChurchillEnterprise correspondent

WEST BRIDGEWATER – For drug education officer Ken Thaxter, changing sixth-grade curriculum to meet trends and equip kids for reality is an ongoing challenge.Synthetic marijuana, commonly called bath salts and marketed as potpourri, is a new point of emphasis in the changing drug education topics at the Howard School.

“Since I teach Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) in science class, I work closely with the science teacher, Mrs. Wentzel, in explaining the science of addiction and the brain, especially how it relates to tobacco, heroin and prescription opiates,” Thaxter said.

Thaxter said the overdose epidemic has increased the need to talk frankly about this substance abuse problem.

“Due to the epidemic of opiate overdoses, I feel it is very important and while this is not part of the national DARE curriculum, it’s one we developed for West Bridgewater,” he said.

“I think sixth grade is the ideal, especially in West Bridgewater, for drug education,” Thaxter said. “It marks the transition into middle school where students first encounter drugs and alcohol.”

Thaxter believes this age marks the time before most have tried drugs.

“I feel that sixth-graders are, for the most part, aware of these substances, however the vast majority have not began any experimentation,” Thaxter said. “It is also the beginning of social media use and Internet bullying issues, which is another area we focus on locally.”

Synthetic marijuana is one of the latest trends facing teens today. Called bath salts, Kush, Scooby Snax and other names, the smoked spices are sprayed with a marijuana ingredient that simulates the drug’s effect. Almost 23,000 hospital trips were linked to bath salts in 2011, according to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration study.

Raynham, Middleboro, Avon, Taunton and North Attleboro have passed local bans on bath salts and West Bridgewater has issued a warning letter to all its grocery and tobacco retailers in town.

“I look for things like that when I do regular inspections,” said West Bridgewater health agent Robert Casper.

Casper said, if it becomes a problem, a bylaw banning the substances may be proposed.

Thaxter said the medical marijuana legalization is sending a mixed message to kids who are confusing it with “synthetic marijuana.”

“The kids think it’s OK and now shrewd businessmen are packaging this stuff and it’s sprayed with all kinds of chemicals and supposed to be used like potpourri and it says it’s not for human consumption but it’s $10 for an ounce of so-called potpourri,” Thaxter said.

Thaxter said he’s seen two incidents of synthetic marijuana usage on duty.

“One was a synthetic drug-smoking guy at a party and the other was a recent unruly person who had been drinking and smoking Scooby Snax,” Thaxter said. “What I’m trying to get across to my sixth-graders is this stuff is packaged as a healthy legal alternative to marijuana and it’s not.”

He said the advertising for synthetic marijuana is disturbingly kid-friendly, with pink Kush packaging or a cartoon image of Scooby Doo on another brand.

“These synthetics are sprayed with different things, including pesticides, and they can have a psychotic effect,” Thaxter said.

An additional enforcement problem for local officers concerns a mandatory drug-education class for marijuana users under the age of 18.

“These 18 kids were supposed to attend a class, but the state never came through with funding if a kid gets a marijuana ticket,” Thaxter said.

“I feel it’s very important to inform our students on any dangerous substance,” said Lt. Victor Flaherty. “The days of not saying anything and hoping they won’t experiment is long gone.”

Massachusetts DARE Director Domenic DiNatale said the national curriculum for drug education is shifting to a focus on decision making. While synthetic marijuana is not covered in the national curriculum, an epidemic could push a supplement to the program.

“The basic curriculum is geared more to decision making, bullying and cyber-security,” DiNatale said. “They’ve really started to focus in on decision-making so it can apply to everything – not just drugs.”

While Abington, Rockland, Whitman, and Hanson join West Bridgewater with surviving DARE curriculum, DiNatale said the program took a marked decline in 2003 when state funding was pulled. “DARE went from every town in the state to only 25 towns,” DiNatale said. “But now we are up again to about 100 programs in the state.”